Meaning & use
aquarist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person who keeps and cares for fish and other water animals in an aquarium, often as a hobby.
Grammar: Countable: one aquarist, two aquarists. Often used with 'keen' or 'experienced'.
As a keen aquarist, he spends hours cleaning his tanks.
The club welcomes both beginners and experienced aquarists.
nouncountable
A person whose job is to look after the fish and other creatures in a public aquarium.
Grammar: Countable; used for professionals, often with 'senior' or 'head'.
The senior aquarist feeds the sharks every morning.
She trained as an aquarist and now works at a large marine center.
Word forms
| plural | aquarists |
|---|
Common combinations
- keen aquarist
- My uncle is a keen aquarist with five tanks.
- professional aquarist
- A professional aquarist must understand water chemistry.
- marine aquarist
- Marine aquarists keep saltwater fish and corals.
- freshwater aquarist
- Freshwater aquarists often start with goldfish.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fishkeeper
- Fishkeeper is a more informal word for someone who keeps fish; aquarist is more formal and can also mean a professional.
Word family
- aquarium noun
- The tank or building where fish are kept.
- aquaristics noun
- The hobby or study of keeping fish in aquariums.
Commonly confused: aquarist or aquarius? aquarist or aquatic?
aquarist vs aquarius
Aquarius is a star sign; an aquarist is a person who keeps fish.
aquarist vs aquatic
Aquatic is an adjective meaning living in water; an aquarist is a person.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'aquarist' fits best.
Choose one answer.
An aquarist cares for fish in an aquarium, so checking water temperature and feeding fish fits. The other options describe unrelated jobs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aquarist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.